Week 4! Already!
Maybe some of us could call it Step 4? When the people who are hysterical, new preppers are asking "Where do I start?" This could be it. Maybe some can't keep up week by week, but could do one step at a time.
WEEK 4 Get Home Bags Assembling a Get Home Bag, often called a Bug Out Bag, a Get Out Of Dodge (G.O.O.D.) Bag, or just a backpack survival kit, is often one of the first things a new prepper does as part of his or her journey to preparedness.
But I deliberately waited to present this lesson until I addressed some of the other basics. Quite simply, you’re more likely to need your supplies at home than when you’re out and about.
With that said, a Get Home Bag is a vital component of your plan, and it’s time to put one together if you haven’t already done so. The first step is not, as some may think, to purchase a backpack. Instead, you want to work in reverse. First, gather what you feel you should have in a Get Home Bag, then find a suitable pack for the contents. Otherwise, you run the risk of either buying a pack that’s too large, which then psychologically compels you to fill it, or buying one that’s too small to carry what you truly need.
A Get Home Bag has one purpose: to get you from Point A to a safe location, on foot if need be, by providing for your basic needs. These needs include water, food, first aid, and shelter/warmth. Most experts suggest having enough supplies to last you three days or so.
Water is one of the most important needs to be met. But water is heavy and difficult to transport in large quantities. A reasonably fit person can probably carry two liters of water without too much trouble. It’s best to split this into two bottles. First, this allows you to balance the load, and second, should you come across a source of water you’ll want and probably need to refill your supply. With two bottles, you can treat “new” water in one bottle while still drinking from the second. What’s the best way to treat found water? A supply of water-purification tablets will suffice in most cases. There are also water bottles available with built-in filtration you may want to consider. Berkey does make a small, portable water filter that, while pricey, cannot be beat for quality.
Next up is food. For your Get Home Bag, stick to things that require little to no preparation. Since you can’t predict the circumstances in which you’ll need to rely on your kit, it’s best not to worry about cooking. Remember, this is one time when you want to pile up calories, so forget the diet. Calories are what fuels the body. Stock your kit with dried fruit, nuts, granola bars, crackers with peanut butter, hard candy, and protein bars. Some people like to store MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), but I find them too bulky for most folks. The idea here isn’t to put together a three-course meal but to stay alive.
Your first aid kit should be extensive without being too large to handle comfortably. Think about the most common reasons to use a first aid kit. For scrapes, bruises, stomach upset, strains/sprains, slivers, blisters, you’ll want to have plenty of supplies like adhesive bandages, pain relievers, antibiotic ointment, gauze, elastic wrap, tweezers, alcohol swabs. Don’t forget the over-the-counter remedies for nausea and diarrhea. Things will be bad enough if you’re trying to find your way home on foot, without having to deal with a case of the squirts.
Warmth and shelter are very important needs to be met. Hypothermia can kill, and it’ll sneak up on you. Be proactive on that front. Carry a few space blankets. I’ve found that the ones made by Heatsheets are among the highest quality. They’ll help you retain body heat as well as ward off the elements. A wool cap will keep you warm even while wet. Gloves are essential during the colder months. Put together a fire-making kit as well, including butane lighters, strike-anywhere matches, and ready-to-use tinder like dryer lint. Seal those things 23 in a plastic bag to keep them from getting wet. With luck, you won’t have to spend more than a night or two outside, but even a single night can be a trial without a campfire.
There are several other odds and ends to include in your Get Home Bag.
❑❑ A good-quality, sharp knife
❑❑ Insect repellent
❑❑ Sunscreen
❑❑ Sunglasses and a wide brim hat
❑❑ Hand sanitizer, which works great as a fire starter because of the high alcohol content
❑❑ Toilet paper (take out the cardboard tube and crush the roll flat)
❑❑ Paracord. Many uses, from helping build a temporary shelter to lashing items to your pack
❑❑ Flashlight or headlamp. Having both is ideal. Don’t forget extra batteries.
❑❑ Small portable radio. Depending on the emergency, it’ll probably be beneficial to gather news on the situation.
❑❑ Bandanna. Several uses from a sweat rag to tourniquet.
❑❑ Extra socks and underwear. Both for comfort and hygiene.
❑❑ Empty, extra ziplock plastic bags. These have many uses.
❑❑ Compass and maps of your area
❑❑ Cash and coins. Again, you have no way of knowing exactly what the crisis may be that results in you having to rely on your Get Home Bag. Could be you’ll come across a working vending machine or pay phone. You may also need to pay for transportation if that becomes an option.
❑❑ Self-defense weapon(s). If you’re on foot during a disaster, there’s a significant chance that someone may try to take what you have.
LET THERE BE LIGHT One of the best flashlights I’ve come across is the Maxxeon WorkStar® 330 Hunter’s Pocket Floodlight Just a bit longer than a Mini Maglite, it uses three AAA batteries. With just a small LED bulb, it puts out around 140 lumens. If you’re like me and have no real, quantifiable way to know just how bright that is, let’s just say you don’t want to shine this in your eyes. You’ll be nearly blinded for a while if you’re that foolish. Find it at
www.maxxeon.com.
Now for a bag to carry all of it. A backpack is usually the most efficient option. Find one that’s both comfortable and durable. This is one case where you probably don’t want to just stuff everything into a pack you found during the back-to-school sale at Walmart. Instead, you want something with a frame to help balance the load across your hips and back. Put everything into your pack and walk around with it for a while. Get used to the weight as well as to how it sits on your body. Make adjustments as necessary.
Another, less attractive, option is a duffel bag. While better than nothing, it’ll cause you to walk unbalanced, increasing the chance of a stumble. I know a few people who use wheeled luggage, like the small suitcases you might use as an airline carry-on. I’m not sold on those—they aren’t meant to be used on rough terrain, and if you have to carry them, they’re pretty darn heavy.
THE SHEMAGH SCARF You might consider adding a shemagh scarf to your bag.
This traditional Arab head scarf is tremendously useful. It’s much larger than a typical bandanna, at around forty square inches. You can use it as a cold-weather scarf, a head wrap, a face mask, or a crude water filter. You can even wrap a few items inside it and tie it to a stick to complete that hobo costume! In all seriousness, American troops stationed in the Middle East quickly discovered just how useful a shemagh scarf is and carry one everywhere. You can find these scarves in over a dozen colors and prints, even camouflage if that’s your thing.
Organizing the gear in the Get Home Bag is important. You don’t want to have to dump out all the contents just to find your sunscreen. One great way to organize the supplies is to use smaller bags and pouches within the pack. I get most of mine from
www.SurvivalResources.com. This company offers a wide range of handy pouches, tins, and other containers for keeping things together in your pack.
The Get Home Bags should be stored in your vehicle(s), given that the purpose of them is to get you from elsewhere back home. They aren’t going to do you any good if they’re sitting in the closet at home and disaster strikes while you’re at work. Keep them in the trunk or the backseat, whichever is more convenient. If you opt for the backseat, you may wish to use an old blanket to cover the Get Home Bag, so as to avoid tempting a thief. Plus, that guarantees you’ll have a blanket in the car in case you get stranded, right?
Put the cake mix and the soda into a bowl, and whisk it into a badder. Pour the badder into a pan and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.
